Cupid's Arrow hit me hard!

"Is Aunt Tiara's assistant still alive, Mom?"

Caroline changed the topic.

She knew Belinda would not agree to amending the family rules.

"Patrick went missing after Tiara's accident. I don't know whether he's dead or alive."

Belinda had sent countless people to look for him after she became the matriarch. Alas, it seemed as if he had evaporated into thin air.

She was still searching for him.

Patrick probably knew something about the incident. He could have some evidence too.

He was a ticking time bomb if she did not find him and destroy the evidence. Who knew when he would suddenly resurface and testify that she had killed her sisters? Even if Belinda had a crush on him when she was young, she had to think long-term for her descendants. She would kill him once he was found.

There had been no news about Patrick or her nieces for decades. She thought she could hand her position over to Caroline smoothly if her nieces died or never appeared. However, the heavens left Belinda a surprise.

Although one of her nieces had passed away, she had left two daughters behind.

On the other hand, Audrey had married into a wealthy family and had children. She was also an influential figure. It would be difficult for Belinda to plot anything against her. Serenity and Liberty were challenging targets as well. They had several powerful families backing them. Attacking them would mean making enemies out of those families. The Fishers were doing worse than they had in the past. Belinda was not bold enough to be their enemy.

"I suspect Patrick was the mastermind behind the death of Tiara's family. He had feelings for her, but she ultimately married another man. He probably bore grudges. Other people accused me of killing my sisters. How is that possible? They're my sisters. Tiara was much older than I was. She raised me and was a mother figure to me. How could I have harmed her?

"Carol, don't listen to the nonsense out there. Even some people in our family hope we turn against each other, let alone outsiders. Although the Fishers have lost our former glory, we are still one of the wealthiest families in Jensburg. Some people aren't happy with that.

"They can't stand seeing us do well."

Belinda defended herself.

Many in Jensburg said she had killed her sisters.

Even if that was true, they had no evidence.

They could not testify against her if there was no proof. She could simply deny everything. Patrick had been missing for decades anyway. Maybe he was dead. Tiara would have been almost ninety years old had she remained alive. Her assistant was two years older, meaning he was over ninety. Could he have lived that long?

Even if he could, he would be a feeble old man. There was no way he would return to Jensburg to testify against her.

With that thought, Belinda felt a bit of relief. She was afraid the powerful families backing Serenity would be able to find Patrick.

Caroline said, "I'm not a kid, Mom. I can distinguish between good and bad. Let's go and eat. Do it for my sake. I'm not fully familiar with the company yet, and I'll need your guidance. Not only is it not worth damaging your health because of Dad, but I'll be left to fend for myself if something happens to you."

Belinda turned around and put down her cup.